Today I woke up with a heavy heart for a friend...I just felt this overwhelming need to lift her up in prayer. She isn't a particularly close friend or someone I see very often. However, today she was heavy on my heart. So I prayed. Seems simple enough. But as the day progressed, my heart just felt heavier. I went back and forth on whether I should send her a text to let her know I was keeping her in prayer or not. I didn't want to be that weird friend that all of a sudden, out of the blue sends random texts for no reason about "God things". But as my heart got heavier, I broke down and just sent her a simple reminder that I was praying--just in case she needed it. Well, turns out her family really needed the prayer. In the past 48 hours they had lost an unexpected family member...in the midst of dealing with another difficult situation that has been going on for a few weeks. The moment I heard this, I knew my heavy heart was not in vain. As the day continued on, I heard about two other families going through horrific events. A very young lady is burying her dad tomorrow...who died as she tried to fly home to be with him for his last breath. She didn't make it in time. And another child attending her mother's funeral as she battles from the same disease that took her mother's life. As I heard these stories today, I had to thank God for giving people heavy hearts to pray for random people and random things. There are so so so many people going through horrible, unbearable, tough circumstances...circumstances that make my 'bad days' seem like rainbows and butterflies. And these people need prayers to carry them through the unbearable moments. I've been on the receiving end of the heavy heart...when a random person you rarely hear from lets you know they've been thinking about you or praying for you and it just means so much. It is a simple reminder that God is there and He is working despite the horrible situation. I recently read a blog about God never giving you more than you can handle--the blogger didn't believe this to be true and after reading the blog, I had to agree. This blogger said something like: God always gives you more than you can handle because honestly, you can't handle this life on your own--But He never gives you more than He can handle. And this random blogger couldn't be more right. We can't handle this life; it's too painful, too horrific, and too sad. BUT He can handle it and He does handle it. Sometimes through BIG ways but I wonder if sometimes He handles it through heavy hearts and random prayers. So if you wake up tomorrow with a heavy heart...pray. You may be getting someone through saying goodbye to a love one, fighting a horrific disease, surviving a horrible accident, a broken heart, etc. God might just be using you to help someone get through an unbearable circumstance. You might not even realize what you are praying for...but God does and that's all that matters. Romans 8:26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words. Heavy hearts, random prayers and simple reminders, Ashley Lucille
3 Comments
Nicole
1/29/2014 07:15:45 pm
Well said. Thanks for the reminder.
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Becca
1/30/2014 09:16:56 am
absolutely correct we all need to reach out to one another more often. As we go through life it is unfortunate that we get busy and don't stay well connected with friends, family and those once child hood friends.
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michelle
2/5/2014 09:00:36 pm
Thank you
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Ashley LucilleJust a few reflections about everything God is teaching me in this life...a journey deeper into His purpose for my life. Categories |